No injuries were reported after a house exploded Wednesday morning in Fernie.
City officials said Fernie Fire and Emergency Services stabilized the site and extinguished the flames, saving the neighbouring homes.
“At around 10:19 in the morning, we heard an explosion and then we got a call from Kelowna dispatch saying there was a house fire,” said Brendan Morgan, Fernie Fire Chief. “We’re still investigating the true details, but we can say for sure it was a build-up of gas in the house.”
6th avenue was closed from 5th Street to 6th Street while crews contained the location.
One resident was inside the home at the time and managed to evacuate.
“Once we established that the person who was inside was at their neighbour’s house, I went to check on her. She said there was nobody else in the house and that she was fine,” said Morgan. “Once we established that there was no one else in there, we basically were just protecting from exposures, which were the houses on either side of the house that exploded.”
The explosion left several homes on the block without gas and power.
“If there is any smell of gas in your home, you need to evacuate immediately,” stated Morgan.